


Still Don’t Know

by Streetlamp_Sunset



Series: Don't Know Why You Runaway [2]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Airplane Sex, Alexis is briefly kidnapped by unnamed Bad Guys, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Cunnilingus, Dom/sub Undertones, F/M, Falling In Love, Foreplay, Hair-pulling, Hurt/Comfort, Intercrural Sex, Light Choking, Love Confessions, Minor Violence, Office Sex, Public Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Service Top, Sexy Application of Sunscreen, Smut, Ted is a service top, Vaginal Fingering, but immediately rescues herself, but it's soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24641476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Streetlamp_Sunset/pseuds/Streetlamp_Sunset
Summary: Alexis is vacationing in the Galapagos when she meets a certain veterinarian. After Stavros leaves her, she spends most of her time sleeping with Ted and face-timing Twyla. When Stavros returns for his things, dangerous men come after him, and Alexis gets caught in the crossfire. The bank has frozen her accounts while they sort out the Roses’ tax issues, so it’s up to Ted to save Alexis and bring her home.Title and chapter titles from Noah Reid's Still Don't Know.
Relationships: Theodore "Ted" Mullens/Alexis Rose
Series: Don't Know Why You Runaway [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779964
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	1. Rising Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Companion fic to Runaway (Run Toward), but you don’t need to read it to understand this one.
> 
> CW: Graphic F/M sex in every chapter

“Hi,” a voice said from behind her. A man stood with one hand in the pocket of his board shorts, the other making a small wave. He looked like he had just gotten out of the pool, blond hair slightly floppy, dripping water down his cheekbones and shoulders and chest. He was tan and sculpted and exactly Alexis’ type. 

“Hi,” Alexis said, tucking her hair behind her ear. He grinned, eyes softening.

“Um, I just feel like I have to warn you, what you just ordered is gonna,” the man made an exaggerated sliding motion, “run through you like Niagara Falls.” 

“Excuse me?” Alexis asked with a shocked laugh. 

“Oh, she's a sweet girl but her smoothies are deadly,” The man said, nodding towards the juice stand Alexis had just ordered from. “Um, I usually prescribe them to my patients when they're feeling a little,” he motioned around his stomach, “backed up.” 

“That's a lot of information,” Alexis laughed. She glanced back at the stand.

“I'm, I'm, I'm kidding. I'm actually not. I've absolutely done that. With her smoothies,” He said. 

“So are you a doctor or?” Alexis asked, playing with the ends of her hair. She knew he was her type.

“I'm a veterinarian,” he said, grinning. 

“Oh,” Alexis said, “It's basically the same thing.” 

“Ted,” the man said, offering his hand. 

“Um, Alexis,” She replied, curling her hand around his. He didn’t try to crush her fingers like most men did. He just curled his fingers into her palm, steady and firm.

“I know. Without sounding too forward,” She realized she was still holding his hand and quickly brought it back to fiddle with her hair. “I've seen you around and uh, you know, I have to say, I think that you are the most beautiful girl this hotel's ever seen.”

“What? No,” Alexis said, preening, “I'm sure there's like another girl … somewhere.” 

“No, I mean it,” Ted said, unabashed and grinning. 

“Yeah,” Alexis said, “Well, it's really nice of you to say.”

“I would love to take you out to dinner sometime,” Ted said. Alexis’ smile dropped for a moment.

“I’m actually here with someone,” She said, “You probably know him, Stavros?” Ted had to have heard of him, the island resort was very exclusive and most of the socialites knew of each other.

“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Ted said easily. “I’m not here on vacation, I’m working with a team of researchers on the preservation of the Island’s wildlife.”

“Here you are,” their conversation was interrupted by the woman from the smoothie counter. Alexis took it hesitantly, planning to throw it in the next trash she saw.

“Thanks,” Alexis said. She turned to Ted, “amd um, thanks for the advice.”

“You’re welcome,” Ted said, turning to walk back to the beach, “See you around.”

That afternoon Stavros took them boating. When Jittney handed her an icy mixed drink, she thought of Ted. Albany had to nudge her more than once when she missed the punchline of Klair’s jokes.

“God, Lex,” Klair huffed, “What is your deal?” Alexis shrugged, playing with the fraying tassels at the end of her cover-up. Not for the first time on this trip, Alexis wanted to call David, but the feeling would pass. Plus, she was literally trapped on a yacht in the middle of the ocean, so Alexis drank their cocktails and laughed when she was supposed to. 

“Mmm, yeah, Lex” Canyon said, “You’re kind of acting like a major bitch.” 

“Ouch, Canyon,” Alexis giggled, smacking her arm.

When Stavors asked her to come below deck with him, slurring and pawing at her hair, she did. She gave herself a few minutes alone after Stavros fucked her until he came and then immediately left to go back to the party. The urge to call David turned her stomach, but she pushed it down. The last time they’d talked he’d sounded like he was in a good place. Alexis was fine; this was fun. It was.

“Hi,” a friendly voice said. Alexis had been dragging her toast through the runny yolk of an egg; she glanced up. It was that cute pet doctor from yesterday, Ted. This time he was in hiking boots, cargo shorts, and a tank top wearing a nylon backpack. 

“Hi,” Alexis said, mood brightening. She wasn’t surprised to find that Stavros, Kalir, and Albany had taken a little unplanned side trip in the middle of the night. Sometimes Stavros heard about an exclusive opportunity at odd hours and he usually just invited whoever was around. They had left most of their stuff here, so they would come back. Probably. 

“I hope this doesn’t cross any lines, but I saw you sitting here and I wanted to give you this,” Ted placed a glass bottle of organic cold pressed juice down in front of her. “There’s a farm just outside of my hometown that makes these and my friends sent some in the last care package. I know it’s not a smoothie, but I felt bad that you didn’t get to drink the one you ordered yesterday.” 

“Oh, thanks,” Alexis said, uncapping it and taking a drink. “Ted!” She said, swatting his arm, “This is so good. You did not have to share this with me.”

“I could take it back,” Ted said, smirking.

“Ew, Ted, no,” Alexis said, pulling it closer to her, “Anyway, I already got my mouth germs on it.” Ted blushed and Alexis pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

“I should probably get going,” he said, glancing around like Stavros might appear out of thin air. 

“Um, Ted, wait,” Alexis said, “If you still wanted to get dinner or something, Stavros left and we’re only together when we’re literally together. You should sit.” She indicated the empty chair opposite her at the table.

“I’d like that,” Ted said. His expression turned regretful for a moment, “But I actually do have to get going, I have work until 5.”

“This,” Alexis said, pulling her pool key off her key ring. Klair had insisted on renting a private outdoor space even though she would never use it, “is a key to the Giant Tortoise pool, you can meet me there when you’re done for the day.” 

Alexis stopped back at their suite to change into her swimwear and grab Albany’s key. The space was truly picturesque, set a good distance away from the hotel, it was surrounded by a high wrought iron fence on all sides. A dense layer of hedges covered three of them, while the fourth was set only a few feet away from a steep cliff facing the water. Alexis spent the day alternating between tanning on a pool float and reading magazines in the cabana. She was resting in the middle of a zero entry pool with her eyes closed when Ted arrived. “If you want me to come out, you’ll have to come get me,” Alexis called, her eyes just in time to see Ted start to strip out of his clothes. “I am not getting my hair wet today.” 

Ted laughed and Alexis got to admire the view of him pulling his tank top off over his head for a moment before he dove gracefully into the deep end. He resurfaced right next to her, grabbing hold of the float and dutifully swimming towards the shallows. He held it steady while she climbed off, but Alexis still managed to stumble and tip towards the water. She squealed, eyes slamming closed as she prepared to hit the water. Instead, she felt Ted catch her and scoop her into a bridal carry. Alexis’ eyes flickered open to find Ted staring at her with open admiration. When he caught her staring back, his grin widened. He set her down at the very edge of the pool.

“There,” Ted said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “all safe.” Alexis’ breath caught in her throat. Ted froze, hand on her jaw, thumb brushing along her cheek. “Alexis?” She leaned forward on her toes, ready to lean in and kiss him. His brows crinkled, “When was the last time you applied sunscreen?” Alexis laughed, too loud, hand coming up clap over her mouth.

“Oh my god, Ted,” she giggled, head dropping forward to thunk against his chest.

“What?” Ted asked, stepping away to look at her face. A smirk snuck onto his face, “It’s important to reapply every twenty minutes when we’re this close to the equator.” Alexis pressed her lips together to keep from laughing; she walked toward the cabana.

“Mmm, skincare is very important,” Alexis said, bending over to dig around in her bag for sunscreen. She straightened again when she found it, turning around to find him eyeing her with a hungry expression. “Do me?” Alexis asked, handing him the bottle. She glanced down to find his dick had hardened some, wet material clinging to his lap and thighs. 

“Yeah,” Ted said gruffly, having to clear his throat before he could continue, “Come here, let me do your face.” Alexis stepped into his space, tilting her chin up to look at him. Ted rubbed the sunscreen in his palm to warm it before placing dots across her face. He smoothed out her brow with his thumbs, sweeping them down the side of her face and across her cheeks. He blended along her jawline, down her neck. He brought one hand back up to sweep a thumb across her lower lip.

“Ted,” Alexis whispered, bringing her hands up to rest on his chest, “Kiss me.” He tipped his head down to meet her lips with a quick, heated kiss. 

“Wait,” he said, straightening back up, “let me do this for you.” Alexis nodded, smoothing her hands across his chest and down his arms before letting them drop. Ted brought one hand up to squeeze her shoulder lightly, resting it loosely around her upper arm. He kissed the side of her mouth, the corner of her jaw. He left a trait of hot, open mouth kisses down the side of her neck, following it with a new swath of sunscreen. Alexis whimpered involuntarily, pressing into his hand where it was wrapped around her throat. Ted moaned and Alexis could feel his cock straining against his suit, “Alexis.” Her whole body flushed with arousal.

“Ted,” she responded teasingly, grin slipping off her face as he took her earlobe into his mouth and sucked. Alexis let out a little whimper as he nipped the shell of her ear. Ted pressed a kiss to the top of her head, still holding her throat lightly.

Breath hot in her ear, he brought his other hand up to rub sunscreen over the faint half-moon his teeth had left there, “If I do something you don’t want, tell me to stop,” he said. Fingers on her jaw, he turned her head to face him. Ted tucked the hair on the other side behind her ear, “Alexis, look at me.” Alexis blinked, opening her eyes, she wasn’t really sure when she closed them. Ted watched her carefully, hands pausing while she spoke.

“Mmm, you’re good,” Alexis murmured, shivering at the slight pressure of his palm against her throat. 

Ted kissed her forehead, “You’re good, Alexis.” She giggled at his sincerity. Ted gathered up her hair, twisting it lightly into a bun at the top of her head. “Hold this for me?” He asked, bringing one of Alexis’ hands and then the other up to hold her hair in place. Ted stepped behind her, continuing to rub the tension out of her neck long after the sunscreen had been absorbed. He moved to her shoulders, “you can put your arms down, Alexis.” 

Ted stood transfixed for a moment as her hair fell back into place. He gathered it back up, tucking it in front of her shoulder. Alexis felt him rub broad sweeps down her back, thumbs returning to work out the aches and knots. Alexis moaned, head dropping forward. She felt his breath first, before he dropped a chaste kiss to her shoulder. Ted’s hands settled on her hips and he kissed down the line of her spine. His thumbs dug into the tight muscle of her thigh, before moving to the other.

“Ted,” she gasped, as he finished the back of her calves and moved to stand in front of her once more. Ted caught her hand as she reached for him, applying sunscreen to her arms with those same firm strokes. He tucked a leg between hers and she rocked up against him, humming in pleasure at the pressure on her clit. Ted began to apply it to her chest, hands pausing when they neared her breasts. 

“Okay?” He asked. Alexis nodded, bringing her own hands back to untie her top. She whipped it in the general direction of the lounge chair. Ted grinned, dipping his head to suck her nipple into his mouth. One of his hands came up to roll and pinch the other. Alexis moaned, widening her stance so she could grind against the hard muscle of his thigh. Ted moved away and she whined. “Almost there,” he reassured her. 

He pulled a towel from the edge of one of the lounges and keeled in front of her. “lift,” Ted said, tapping at the insole of her foot. She wobbled slightly when he tried to lift it. “Here,” he brought her hands to rest on his shoulders, “Better?”

“Yeah,” she breathed. He brought his mouth near her foot, but a sharp squeeze on his shoulder stopped him, “ew, Ted, no feet in your mouth right now, you can’t brush your teeth out here.” Ted smiled up at her.

“Thank you for telling me that, Alexis,” he said, digging his fingers into the sole of her foot, made his way up the front of one legs, had her lift her other foot, and then did that one. When he had finished, Ted laid his head on the curve of her hip, “You were so good Alexis, give one one minute, okay?” He pulled a pack of wet wipes out of his bag, wiping the excess sunscreen off his fingers and mouth. Ted dug around for his tube of aloe, setting it on the towel next to him. He brought his hands back to Alexis’ hips. “Can I take these off?” She nodded, hooking her fingers under the elastic. Ted let out a low groan when he saw her, “Alexis, I want to taste you, can I-” 

“Yes, Ted,” Alexis whined, grabbing a fistful of hair and pulling him forward. He nudged his way between her legs. Her hands tightened in his hair when his tongue found her clit, delivering firm, even licks. She felt his hand between his thighs, fingers spreading her as he tilted his head to suck hard on her clit. “Oh my god, Ted. Fingers. Now,” Alexis gave a little tug on his hair. He moaned, vibrations sending a wave of arousal through her. Ted two of his fingers in the aloe and thrust inside of her, crooking and rubbing on her g-spot, “Ngh, more Ted, that’s so good, baby.”

Ted added another finger. He kept a steady pace, thrusting deeply before rubbing her g-spot. His mouth sucking and lapping and pressing firmly on her clit. Alexis’ hips stuttered, she was so, so close. Ted felt her walls begin to flutter. He tucked his pinky finger in alongside the rest, the unexpected stretch tipping her over the edge. He continued to suck at her clit until she tugged his head away. Alexis let out a broken whine when he went to pull his fingers out of her. Ted froze, hand stilling inside her. “Sorry,” she mumbled, blushing. “Um, I guess it is your turn.”

“Hey,” Ted said, resting his check against her thigh, “don’t apologize. I’m good here, Alexis, this is so good.” He kissed her hip, “What do you want, babe? Do you want me to keep going?” Ted crooked his fingers involuntarily. She moaned and nodded, legs buckling when he did it again. Ted glanced around. “Okay, here,” he said, standing and lifting her, legs wrapping around his waist. He set Alexis on the long lounge chair. He crawled up after her, settling on his stomach, legs thrown over his shoulders. 

Alexis whined and thrashed when he began fucking her with his fingers again. He stopped, glancing up to check in. “No, don’t stop,” She groaned, “It’s just so good.” She kicked him lightly with her heels when he didn’t move back fast enough and he laughed, mouth pressed to her skin. “Mmm,” Alexis moaned, “Want your, ah, mouth again, yes, Ted.” It didn’t take long to bring her over the edge again. Alexis whimpered as she came, back arching, Ted’s tongue pressed to her clit. “That’s good,” she said, panting and patting his hair, “so good, Ted.” Ted grinned, crawling up her body to kiss her.

“Ew, Ted,” Alexis whined when his wet shorts brushed her thighs. “Why are those still on?” He shoved them down, kicking them off the end of the lounge. 

“Better?” he asked against her lips.

“Yes,” she sighed happily when his cock dragged across her thigh. Alexis let out an unhappy whine when she remembered what she had packed for the day, “Oh my god, Ted, I forgot the condoms.” She flipped through alternatives in her mind, “Fuck my thighs, Ted, rub off on me.”

Ted moaned, angling his cock to enter the slick tight channel of her thighs, “Oh, fuck, Alexis, I’m so close babe.” He brought a hand to brace his body on either side of her head, thrusting so hard that the lounge groaned.

“Come on, Ted,” Alexis said, hand curling around the back of his neck. She pulled him down to kiss her. He groaned, hips jerking as he came between her tights. Ted arms trembled in her peripheral and Alexis realized he was still bracing his weight above her. She sat up the chair, so she was sitting in it properly, pulling Ted down to lay between her legs, head on her chest. Alexis wrapped one arm around him, drawing little patterns with her fingers. The other she carded through his hair. “That was really nice, Ted,” she said quietly, “I think maybe you’re the first nice person I’ve ever slept with.” 

“Alexis,” Ted choked out after a moment, like her name had gotten caught in his throat. He shifted like he was going to move, but she tightened her arm around him.

“Stay, Ted,” Alexis said and he did, immediately relaxing in her arms. “I’m okay, I just wanted you to know.” She bent down to kiss his forehead. He tilted his head back to look at her upside down, grinning. 

They lay there for a few minutes until Ted spoke, “Come float with me? I want to swim.” Alexis climbed on to her float from the edge of the pool. She lay on her stomach, head turned to watch Ted swim, pillowed on a bent arm. She dipped the other hand lazily in the pool. 

She had no idea how long she watched him swim slow, easy laps across the pool. The sun had begun set, the underwater pool lights glowing. Ted broke the surface of the water near her, careful not to splash. 

“Tell me something,” Alexis requested, suddenly filled with a desire to know this man.

“What?” Ted asked.

“Anything,” Alexis said, “Tell me a story about home.”

Ted rolled so he could pull the pool float to the edge of the water. He sat on a towel, hooking his toes on a handle so she wouldn’t float away, the other leg swishing through the water. He told her about the first time he knew he wanted to be a vet.

“I was five, six maybe,” Ted said, voice carrying in the quiet dusk. “My mother had left me home with a babysitter to go on a date. I was supposed to be in bed, but I couldn’t sleep, so I got up to get a glass of water. The babysitter was a high school girl who had only watched me a few times. We had the huge newfoundland, Biscuit, and I think the sitter was already skittish, but Biscuit started choking on a bone and she just froze. I don’t know what came over me, but I just stuck my hand right down her throat and pulled it out.”

“Oh my god, Ted,” Alexis said, “Was she okay?” 

“Yeah,” Ted said, “She was fine pretty much immediately after. Started trying to get the bone back as soon as she recovered.”

“Silly thing,” Alexis laughed, “Wouldn’t her animal instincts have, like, kicked in and reminded her not to go right back after the thing that was just hurting her? I thought dogs were supposed to be like, really smart.”

Ted shrugged, “I don’t know, Alexis, I don’t think it works that way.”

“Well,” Alexis said, “little you was very clever.” She sat up and booped his nose. Ted laughed, but his eyebrows furrowed when he realized how dark it had gotten. 

“We should head back, it’s getting late,” Ted said. Alexis reluctantly took his hand and climbed out of the pool. She tucked her bikini away in her bag, pulling out the flowy wrap dress she kept in it for walking around the hotel. Ted slipped his work clothes back on. “Can I walk you back?” 

“It would be pretty rude if you didn’t,” Alexis said, lacing their fingers together as she locked the gate behind them. When they got to her door, Ted kissed her goodnight.


	2. Heart and Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Runaway (Run Toward) Background: Alexis face-timed David while he was with Twyla. She and Alexis exchanged numbers.

“Oh my god, he did not,” Alexis giggled. Twyla was shockingly easy to get along with. Alexis had never been able to make friends with someone normal, like Twayla. Maybe she’d never really tried. Being Twyla’s friend didn’t take work the way it did with Klair. She didn’t have to remember to have the right opinions or keep track of who knew what. “Okay, but, I thought that was like, a thing they only did in the movies.”

“No,” Twyla shook her head, trying to calm her laughter, “My mom was so angry she threw him out of the house for a week.”

“Ooo, Twy,” Alexis said, launching into another embarrassing story about her brother, “Did I ever tell you about the time David-” Twyla was one hour ahead of Alexis, so they'd been face-timing on Twyla’s lunch break while Alexis got ready for the day. Canyon started banging on impatiently on Alexis' bathroom door; they were supposed to be going to the beach together. “I have to go, Twy, talk soon?” Twyla agreed, so Alexis blew her a kiss and hung up the call. 

For all her impatience, Canyon abandoned Alexis almost immediately when she spotted Jittney lounging in the sand. Alexis shifted her weight between her feet, debating whether to join them. Jittney was always really mean when Savros and Klair were gone. Without Albany as a buffer or a lot of fun pills the night was definitely going to end in tears. Alexis spotted some of the other researchers who worked with Ted ordering food at a stand. 

"Hi Sami," Alexis called, walking over to them. Sami turned and greeted Alexis with a smile. Drew was placing their lunch order at the window. "Could I ride back with you?" Alexis asked. "I want to surprise Ted.”

"No problem," Sami said, "We've got the jeep signed out, so there's plenty of room." Alexis thanked her and placed her own order, picking up a lunch for Ted as well. 

"Alexis," Ted greeted, pleased smile on his face when he glanced up from his work to see her leaning against the doorway. "What are you doing here?" 

"I wanted to see you," she said, rotating her hand so a bag dangled from it. "I brought lunch, Drew said you were working through the day again." Her nose crinkled at the thought. "That's not good for you Ted, you should take better care of yourself." 

"Well, it's a good thing I have you then, isn't it?" he asked. "I mean not that I  _ have _ you. Obviously you're your own person, I just. Thank you, Alexis." 

"You're very welcome," Alexis said, setting the bag of food on his desk. 

Ted jumped up, "Here, let me grab you a chair." He kissed her cheek as he moved past her to sit back down.

Alexis unpacked their food, "Thanks, Ted." She took a seat, angling her body towards him, "Did you figure out what to do about the baby turtles?" 

Ted's face lit up as he talked about the work he and his colleagues were doing to improve the life of the local wildlife. Alexis didn't really care about how temperature and acidity level affected the birthrate of the turtles. She thoroughly enjoyed watching Ted discuss something he was passionate about, though. He never made her feel stupid for not understanding all his big sciencey words and he made these cute little animal puns. It would have been annoying on anyone else, but Ted spoke with an impossible mixture of humor and sincerity. 

Alexis finished her last bites. She offered it to Ted, before dumping their finished meals in the trash. She shut and locked the door while she was up. Instead of sitting back in her chair, she straddled his lap, skirt fanning out around them.

“Alexis, what are you doing?” Ted asked, bringing his hands to rest on her hips. She pulled him forward by his lapels to kiss him. He automatically brought one hand up to her hair, pulling her closer. Alexis felt him harden underneath her. “I have work,” Ted gasped as her mouth moved to lick and suck at his neck. She sat back, running her hands down his chest.

“We can stop,” Alexis offered, “or, we can spend the rest of your lunch break doing this.” She ran the pads of her fingers down his cheek, feeling the stubble he had grown there. Ted turned his head to kiss her palm.

“I have to get right back to work after,” He said, hands moving to caress her splayed thighs. “There’s a pile of data entry I have to get through.” Alexis shivered as he dipped his head to kiss the hollow of her throat. 

“Yeah, that’s,” her words stuttered for a moment, “that’s good, Ted.” One of his hands slid further between her thighs, stroking the damp, lacy fabric of her panties. He pushed them aside to get to her. “Oh my god, Ted, just rip them off,” Alexis said and she felt his cock jump.

“Yeah?” He asked, hands seeking out the seams of the delicate thong. Alexis nodded enthusiastically, rolling her hips to give him some friction. Ted moaned and she felt him break the lace with a sharp tug. He spread her with his fingers, sliding two inside of her to thrust and curl against her g spot. His thumb found her clit and he rubbed it in firm circles.

“Ted,” Alexis whined, hands undoing his pants. She pulled down the elastic of his waistband. Ted groaned, fingers faltering for a moment as he felt her stroke his cock. Alexis reached one hand behind her, digging around in her bag. Ever since the first time they had done this and she had forgotten them, she added condoms and lube to the one she brought everywhere. She spread lube on her hand, reaching back out to pump his cock. “Need more,” Alexis said, sucking at the delicate skin under his ear when his hips jumped at the contact, “Need you in me.”

“I’ve got you,” Ted said. He added a third finger to those already thrusting inside her and leaned to grab a condom with his other hand. He rolled it down his cock and lifted her so she was sitting on the edge of the desk.

“God, Ted,” Alexis gasped, arousal shooting through her at the causal strength. She moved her own hand down to pinch and rub at her clit. “That was so hot,” she said, grabbing him by the hair at the back of his neck with her other hand to pull him into a kiss. Ted smiled against her mouth and, god help her, it made her insides melt. He sucked her lower lip into his mouth, niping with his teeth. Ted set his hands on her knees and slid them to rest on her inner thighs. He pressed hot, open mouth kisses to the side of her throat. Ted pulled her thighs further apart, knocking her hand aside as he spread her folds with his thumbs.

“Look at you,” he groaned, head lifting off her neck long enough to catch her eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Alexis,” Ted said, in a very earnest tone, before entering her with one swift thrust.

“Ted,” she gasped, head rolling backwards as he fucked her with quick, deep strokes, “harder, god, so good.” Her back arched as he held her hips and pulled her closer to the edge of the desk. Ted shifted something and suddenly he was even deeper. “Yes,” Alexis whined. His cock dragged against her g spot every time before thrusting deep inside her. He filled her so well. “Touch me,” Alexis gasped, tugging her shirt over her head. She lay back on the desk, bringing her hands over her head to brace against the wall. 

“So beautiful,” Ted said, dropping his head to nose aside the cup of her bra before sucking her nipple in his mouth. He slid a hand underneath her, pinching open the clasp of her bra. Alexis whimpered as he scraped at her nipple with his teeth. Ted slid the bra along her arms and she took her hands off the wall long enough to toss it aside. Alexis whined as the movement was enough to throw off his next thrust. 

“Hey,” Ted panted, reaching down to rub at her clit while his thrusts resumed their deep, quick pace. He kissed her forehead lightly, even as he pinched and tweaked her nipple, “I’m right here.” Her whole body flushed with arousal. Ted sucked at a spot low on her throat before moving back down to take her other breast into his mouth.

Alexis though she might cry. This was so good; he was so good. Instead she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer. “Okay?” Ted asked, kissing her sternum. She nodded, head rolling to the side as she began to feel an orgasm approaching from the pressure on her clit. 

“So close, Ted,” Alexis gasped, closing her eyes as she squirmed against the pleasure. “Right there, yes.” He grabbed her jaw, turning her head back towards him. “Ted,” she cried as she felt her orgasm crest.

“Look at me,” Ted said, fucking her hard as she came around him. Alexis’ eyes snapped open and he ran his thumb down her jaw, across her lips. “Keep going?” he asked, continuing to rub her clit in rough, firm circles even as she squirmed and bucked her hips. Ted pulled almost all the way out before slamming back into her.

“Mmm, yes,” Alexis whimpered, “don’t stop.” Ted kissed her shoulder, before straightening. He brought the hand that wasn’t rubbing against her clit to hold her hip as he fucked her, nearing his own orgasm.

“Alexis,” He groaned, snapping his hips. Alexis let out a low whine as a second orgasm rippled through her. Ted thrust as hard as he could, hips stuttering as he felt her pulse around his cock.

“Ted,” she gasped, reaching out to claw at his shoulders. Ted bent down to kiss her, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other on the small of her back. Alexis smiled against his lips, giggling when she pulled away. “I’m going to get cleaned up,” She said, kissing him on the cheek before sliding off the desk. Alexis refastened her bra and slid her flowy top back over her head, tucking it into her skirt. She stopped down the hall to use the bathroom and touch up her makeup. 

“Hi,” Ted said, wrapping an arm around her waist when she came back to stand next to him. Ted had cleaned up while she was in the bathroom, his laptop open in front of him and her bag was sitting upright on the extra chair. 

“I should probably get going,” Alexis said, reaching out to smooth his hair back into place. It always got a little mused when they slept together. She found it charming, but she knew it embarrassed him when he realized he had been walking around with sex hair. 

“Are we still on for dinner Thursday?” Ted asked, turning to lead his head against his stomach. 

“Can’t wait,” Alexis said, bending down to kiss him goodbye.

“Alexis,” Ted called when she was almost out the door. She paused with her hand on the doorframe. “Thanks for lunch,” he said, big stupid grin on his face.

When she left the research center, she realized she had missed a call from Twyla. She called her back on the walk to the hotel. Apparently, Twyla felt like she might be developing feelings for one of her and David’s friends, Stevie. Last time she put herself out there, her poor little heart had been stepped on. 

Twyla had written her boyfriend, Mutt, a song and wanted to know what she thought. Alexis had had to stop herself, snapping her mouth back together before she could speak. She had been about to say something awful like, “Why Twy, that seems a tad bit desperate.” Or, more likely, “Ew, Twyla.” Klair and Jittney would have thought it was tacky. “That sounds really sweet, Tywala,” Alexis had said instead, “and if Mutt hates it, just go find David. Most of the time he’s awful, but he’s a really good big brother when he needs to be.” 

Tywla smiled, “Thanks Alexis.”

“Yeah, of course, Twy,” Aexis had said, twirling her hair. She narrowed her eyes, “just don’t tell him I said that.” 

Alexis’ thoughts now strayed to Ted. His gentle strength and easy laughter. Ted adored her, but not for the reasons men had in the past. Sure, this thing between them had started off as purely physical attraction, but he had proven that he liked her for who she truly was. Ted made her want to know him. He found her sharper traits endearing. He also made her feel good about her softness, which had so often been used against her, she had thought it might be gone. Alexis wanted to be kinder.

“Talk to her, Twyla,” Alexis said, “If you think she could make you happy, I think it's worth the risk.”

“Nice bike,” Alexis called. Ted turned to the sound of her voice and pulled his helmet off.

“Hi,” He said, holding a second helmet out to her. She made a face, mourning the inevitable state of her hair, but she put it on. Ted grinned, “You look beautiful.” Alexis preened; her hair would be salvageable. 

Ted had refused to tell her where he was actually taking her. “It’s a surprise, but I promise you’ll like it,” Ted had said confidently for someone who hadn’t known her for more than a few months. She began to recognize the buildings around the research center. Apparently, he had driven the long way, trailing along the opposite curve of the island. Not that Alexis minded. She was curled around Ted’s back, hands clasped against his abs. He made for a comfortable ride. 

“Ted,” Alexis gasped when she noticed where they were. He had brought her to a smoothie stand. 

“I can personally vouch for this one,” Ted said, parking the bike and moving to secure their helmets. Alexis’ phone buzzed, she had a missed call from Savros. Ted looked up and smiled at her. Alexis put the phone back in her pocket, ignoring the rest of his messages. She wouldn’t go back to him this time; she had everything she wanted right here. 

“I really like you, Alexis,” Ted said when he dropped her off back at the hotel. He had his arms wrapped around her, her head tucked in the crook of his neck.

“I really like you too,” Alexis said, glancing up to meet his gaze. The pure fondness in Ted's eyes took her breath away. He cupped her jaw in his hands, drawing her in for a long, slow kiss.

“I’ll see you soon,” Ted said, placing one last kiss on her forehead before climbing back on his bike and driving off towards the research center. 

“I think I might love you,” Alexis said as she watched his silhouette disappear around the trees. Ugh, now she was the one who needed to call Twyla for advice. 

There were men in her room when she got back, tearing it apart. Alexis tried to back out before they saw her, but a man stepped out from the en suite behind her. She tried to fight him, but he was at least twice her size. Alexis felt his ring catch on her face. He managed to pin her to a wall. He put his hand over Alexis’ mouth when she tried to scream; she could taste her own blood. Alexis bit his fingers and kicked backward with her feet. She felt a fist connect with her jaw and then everything went dark. 

When Alexis woke up, her first thought was that she must’ve slept on her neck funny. She jerked fully awake when she remembered what had happened. Alexis looked around, recognizing Canyon’s room in their suite. Ablany and Canyon were still out, lying on the ground. The men had zip tied their hands together. They were alone in the room, but Alexis could hear them yelling from some other part of the suite. She tried to shake them awake, but their eyes stayed closed. Alexis broke the zip ties on her wrists, tightening them as much as she could before bringing them down quickly against the front of her body. 

Alexis spotted her bag in the corner. She checked its contents, but it looked as if they had just taken it off her and left it there. She dug out her keys and used them to break Ablany and Canyon’s zip ties. There was a door leading to a balcony in the bathroom. Alexis dragged them there, locking and jamming the door with a chair. It was the best she could do; she needed to get out. 

“I’m so sorry,” She whispered, glancing back as she climbed over the railing. Fortunately, Alexis didn’t encounter anyone else as she slowly climbed from floor to floor. When she got to the bottom she called the hotel, “There’s been a break-in in the penthouse suite. They have weapons and hostages.”

“Ma’am?” The hotel employee started, shocked. Alexis hung up and started to run. 


	3. Baby, I’m Almost There

“Um, David,” Alexis whispered, leaning as far away from the door of the supply closet as she could, “Okay, don’t be mad, but I need a selfish.” 

Alexis had tried to withdraw cash from one of the machines on the resort, but none of her cards worked. Afraid of staying too close, she ran until she found an office space near the research center with a poor security system. Someone had left a window unlocked and she was currently sitting on a tarp in the corner of their supply closet. “I called the bank, David, they said my cards were frozen.”

After listening to Stavros’ messages, she realized that he had stolen from a drug cartel and they had sent men to retrieve their product. Alexis wasn’t sure if they would come after her too. It hadn’t seemed like they had known who she was, but she had to be careful.

No one else knew about Ted, she reasoned. Even if Stavros or Klair wanted to give her up somehow, at least he wouldn’t get caught up in this mess. Her phone buzzed with another message. David was working on it, but it wasn’t as if he could ask CRA to unfreeze her father’s accounts so she could flee a drug cartel. He called her to talk through her options. 

“David,” Alexis said, trying not to let him hear her cry, “It’s okay if you can’t, um get me the money.” She wiped the tears from her face. “I’ll figure it out.” She could always just take off her shoes and sprint to the embassy like she had done in Italy. The brightness in the small room dampened as her phone dropped below five percent. “I should probably go now,” She admitted, “The battery is getting really low.” 

“Alexis,” David said firmly, “I’m going to get you out of there.” Alexis took a deep breath and hung up the phone. If she kept talking to David she was going to start crying again. The room was plunged into darkness.

Alexis sat back down on the tarp, bringing her knees to her chest. She pulled her lacy coverup around her more tightly, shivering in the drafty closet. Alexis curled and uncurled her toes, feeling the gritty, wet sand scratch between them. She needed a plan in case David couldn’t reach her. He had always been able to, but Alexis had also always been able to access her own accounts. The kind of people who smuggled young women safely out of the country didn’t always accept wire transfers.

The closet door rattled and Alexis jumped to her feet, grabbing hold of a loose pipe. She wasn’t sure what good it would do against the men who were after Stavros, but she wasn’t just going to sit there. Alexis moved into a defensive stance, ready to swing.

“Alexis?” A low voice whispered. Huh? She leaned closer to the door, waiting, in case it was a trap. “Oh,” the voice continued, “David said the code word was  Adelina.” Alexis unlocked the door, pushing it open slowly with her empty hand. On the other side of the door stood Ted.

“Ted,” she breathed. The tension dropped from her shoulders, she set the pipe back on the shelf. Alexis wanted to run into his arms, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep moving once she did. “What are you doing here?” She asked, throat burning in an effort to keep from sobbing at the sight of him. Ted was wearing more clothes than she’d ever seen him in. Which, admittedly, was a weird thing to be thinking about, but it had been a long day. He was in hiking boots and jeans, the collar of a t-shirt and hood of a sweatshirt visible at the edges of his fleece jacket. One of his thumbs was tucked under a backpack strap, the other hand in his pocket.

“David called me,” Ted said. He lifted up a second backpack, “I’m your escape plan.” He began rooting around in it. Alexis stepped further into the light. “Alexis,” Ted said, a quiet anger in his voice, “what happened to your face?” He reached out instinctively, but paused as if he wasn’t sure it was okay to touch her. 

“Later, okay?” Alexis said, “I’ll tell you everything, but I, um, can’t right now.” Ted nodded, swallowing as he clenched his hands and then deliberately unclunched them.

“You’re right,” he handed her the bundle he had pulled out from the backpack. “Here, David said you would need clothes.” Alexis set them on the shelf of the closet, quickly assessing what he had picked out. Bless him, he’d brought her a full, clean outfit from the clothes she'd left in his room. She quickly stripped out of her swimsuit and dressed in her sports bra, t-shirt, underwear, and leggings. Alexis paused when she got to the socks, they were a thick, woolen pair that definitely didn’t belong to her. There was also a large, soft hoodie. She caught a familiar scent as she slipped it over her head, Ted. “Shoes,” He said quietly, holding out her pair of running shoes. While she tied her shoes, Ted took the things she had changed out of, tucking them in the bottom of the bag so they wouldn’t drip on anything else.

“What’s the plan?” Alexis whispered, putting the backpack over her shoulders. Ted reached down for her hand.

"David got us a plane back home," he said, "we just have to get there.” They walked down to the research center’s docks, keeping an eye out for the men after Stavros.

“Hi Sami,” Alexis said, smiling gratefully at the other researcher. While Ted had come to find her, Sami had checked out the center’s boat. She would drop Alexis and Ted off on the island with the air strip and then drive the boat back to the center’s dock.

“I’m just happy to help get you away from that bastard,” Sami said, eyes fierce as she started up the boat. Ted had told Sami he was helping get Alexis away from a dangerous ex, which wasn’t all together untrue. “There’s a first aid kit bolted onto the wall there, if you want to clean up a little,” Sami said, gesturing to a box at the back of the boat. 

“Thank you, Sami,” Ted said, moving to stand near Alexis while she dug through it. Alexis set the supplies on the bench beside her.

She held an alcohol wipe out to Ted, “Can you do it? I can’t exactly see my face.”

“Yeah, of course,” Ted said, moving to sit next to her. He brought one of his hands to cup the back of her skull while the other wiped away the blood on her face. Alexis flinched at the unfamiliar sting. Her skin had split across her eyebrow, her cheekbone, her lip. Ted’s careful fingers brushed against the opposite corner of her jaw, but that just ached. She watched Ted’s face crumple further everytime she flinched away from his touch. He smoothed butterfly stitches across the cuts on her eyebrow and cheekbone. “There, all done,” he said quietly, stepping back to give her space. Alexis frowned, she didn’t want space.

“Um, you didn’t kiss it better,” Alexis said, standing up and reaching for his hands.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to be touched," Ted said, mindful of their audience, "after everything." 

"Ted," Alexis said, guiding his hands to where they would usually fall on her waist. “I’m fine, I just like, got hit a few times.” Sami let out a string of explosives under her breath at Alexis’ words. “I’ve had worse.”

“That’s -” Ted said, before shaking his head and starting again, “you deserve so much better.” He slid his hands up her back, one staying on the bend of her waist, the other weaving through the back of her hair. Ted tugged her forward; Alexis let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Ted always held her like this, hands firm and sure, but he never moved her anywhere she didn’t already want to be. He placed a gentle kiss on the edge of her brow, her cheek, her jaw. “There,” Ted said, leaving a chaste kiss at the corner of her mouth. “That feel okay?” He asked, eyes searching hers. Ted’s thumb stroked absentminded patterns on the delicate skin beneath Alexis’ ear. Alexis nodded, moving to lean against his chest. It had been a long day.

“Here, let’s sit,” Ted said, patting the bench next to him. Instead, Alexis sat sideways on his lap, laying her head over his heart. Ted wrapped his arms around her. She listened to his heartbeat the rest of the way to shore. 

“If anyone asks, you were never here,” Sami said, eyebrows knitting together in determination. She pulled Alexis into a long, tight hug. “Be safe, okay?” 

Alexis nodded against her shoulder, “Thanks Sami, you’re the sweetest.”

Sami turned to Ted, “Don’t worry, Drew and I can get your final report turned in. Feel free to email it to either one of us.” She hugged Ted just as tight. “Don’t be a stranger, Mullens.”

It took Ted and Alexis almost an hour to walk to the airstrip. Alexis nearly cried when she saw one of the Rose family jets parked on the taxi. David even sent her favorite pilots, Jessie and Alice. 

She maybe did tear up a little when Alice smiled and said, “Let’s get you home, Ms. Rose.” Alexis turned to find Ted taking the plane in with wide eyes. They were standing in a small kitchenette, a seating area visible just beyond that.

“So, I’m going to shower real quick,” Alexis said, drawing Ted’s attention away from examining the amenities, “If you want to join me.” 

“Yeah,” he said, “I’d like that.” Alexis watched the expression on his face turn from awe at their surroundings to something impossibly brighter when he looked at her. Still, there was an undercurrent of tension in his stance every time his eyes caught her injuries.

“It’s back here,” she said. Alexis led him down a narrow hall, past the entrance to a bedroom they would certainly be using later, to the bathroom at the back of the plane. Aside from the elongated shape of the room and the tiny plane windows on either side, it looked just as any other bathroom might. A stretch of counter and a storage cabinet sat on one side, while a toilet and shower took up the other. 

Alexis dropped her backpack and turned on the water. She moved to lean against the counter, laying her head on Ted’s shoulder as they waited for it to heat up. “So,” Alexis said, “I think that’s the most walking I’ve done, like ever, and I’ve climbed  Cho Oyu twice.” She squeezed Ted’s arm. “So, um, thanks for not leaving me to die on like a sad little path somewhere.”

“God, Alexis,” Ted said. He turned to bury his face in her hair; his arms came up to hold her. Alexis thought maybe he was shaking, but it could’ve been the plane. After a moment Ted stepped back, opening his mouth to say something, but his jaw clenched shut before he could.

Ted slowly lowered himself to his knees, reaching out to untie her shoes. He took each shoe and borrowed sock off her feet one by one. Ted’s fingers came up to hook on the waistband of her leggings. He glanced up and she nodded before he worked her bottoms down to the floor. Ted stood, sliding his hands under the borrowed sweatshirt. Alexis raised her arms and he slid it over her head with her t-shirt. His hands moved back to maneuver the tight elastic of her sports bra over her head, being especially careful not to brush her face.

He slid out of his own clothes and followed her into the shower. They took turns in the spray of the water. Ted’s fingers massaged shampoo into her hair while she washed her face. She tipped her head back to rinse it away while Ted washed his own hair. 

“Mmm,” Alexis said, neck rolling back into his hands as he worked conditioner through her hair, “I’m going to fall asleep if you keep doing that.” Ted kissed her shoulder and moved to run a soapy washcloth along her skin. Once they had been sufficiently cleaned, dried, and moisturized Alexis dug one of Ted’s t-shirts out of her bag. He had only had her spare running outfit in his room and she would rather wear his clothes than put her old ones back on. Ted was in a t-shirt and boxers of his own. He grabbed a couple bottles of water and headed towards the bedroom. Alexis practically collapsed in the bed, the tension of the day draining out of her as Ted looped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him to sleep.

When Alexis woke up the other side of the bed was empty. She sat up to see Ted trying to balance two bowls and close the door quietly. “Hi,” she said, trying to peer into the bowls. “What did we make?”

“There were post it notes all over the ramen in your handwriting,” Ted said. She had left little threats to David all over her noodle stash. “I hope that’s okay.” Alexis made grabby hands at the bowl. He handed it to Alexis and sat beside her at the head of the bed.

“Mmm, yummy Ted,” Alexis said, grin widening when she noticed the chopped green onion, “You even put the little green thingies in it.” She already felt so much better after a few hours of sleep, but ramen was her favorite flying food. 

“Does this taste different to you?” Ted asked after a moment, pausing with a bite of ramen halfway to his mouth.

“Mmm, no, that’s just the altitude,” Alexis said, twirling a noodle around her fork, “it does really weird things to your taste buds. Flying is like the only time David can handle spicy foods.” Ted laughed, the warm sound echoing in the small bedroom of the plane. Alexis finished her noodles first, setting her bowl aside. She drank a good portion of the water before moving to lay her head on Ted’s thigh. She aimlessly scrolled her phone while Ted played with her hair. “Oh my god,  Albany and Canyon are safe,” Alexis said, signing in relief as she came across a selfie of them with Jittney and Klair on Instagram. Although, she couldn’t help but be a little bummed that they hadn’t checked on her.

“I’m really glad your friends are okay, Alexis,” Ted said, setting his bowl aside. She wasn’t so sure they were her friends. Twyla had already sent her dozens of messages checking in and keeping her posted on David.

“Mm, yeah,” she said, “me too.” Ted’s hand paused in her hair. “Ted?” she asked, rolling over to look up at him.

“I know this is all very normal for you,” he said, voice rough with emotion, “but I was, god, Lex, I was so scared.” Alexis sat up, moving to sit in his lap. 

“Aw, Ted, you were worried about me?” She asked, bringing a hand up to cup his jaw. “That’s, like, very sweet of you, but I would’ve been fine. I always am.” 

“That’s-,” Ted sighed, “That’s not the point, Alexis. I really love, uh, spending time with you. Of course I was worried.” One of his hands was wrapped around her thigh, the other playing with the hem of her borrowed t-shirt. Alexis felt incredibly fond in that moment. 

“Well,” she said, leaning in to kiss him, “I’m all safe now.” It hurt her mouth a little, but it’s worth it. Kissing Ted was always worth it. She felt his cock harden underneath her. “This very handsome vet I know came and found me.” Alexis slid a hand under his shirt, his abs jumping as her fingertips ghosted over them, “and I would really appreciate it if he would fuck me now.”

“Okay, Lex,” Ted said, voice gruff. He grabbed her waist before rolling them so she was laying on her back with him kneeling between her legs. Alexis reached for him, but he caught both of her hands in one of his. Ted held her wrists to the bed above her head. “Can you keep your hands here for me?” he asked, bracing himself with a single arm next to her head as he lowered himself down to kiss her neck. Ted allowed a good deal of his weight to press her to the bed.

“Ah, yes, Ted,” she gasped. His cock was straining against his boxers, fitting firmly between her legs. Alexis rolled her hips against the hardness, the head of his cock nudging directly against her clit. Ted snapped his hips, sucking roughly against the delicate skin of her throat. Alexis’ hands balled into fists and Ted squeezed her wrists as the tendons shifted in his hands. He pressed them back into the bed as if reminding her to stay put before moving to pull his boxers down. 

Crawling back up the bed he left a trail of kisses from the bend of her knee to the curve of her inner thigh. Ted sucked on the skin there, following hot, open mouth kisses with the scrape of his day old stubble. Ignoring the suggestive rolls of Alexis’ hips, he pushed the edge of the t-shirt aside to suck a dark hickey in the hollow of her hip bone. Alexis whined as he tailed feather light fingers along her sides. Ted settled between her thighs, fucking her with his tongue. He nosed at her clit, but largely ignored it.

“More,” Alexis panted, lifting her thighs to rest on his shoulders, “need more Ted.” He flattened his tongue, pressing it against her clit in firm passes. He thrust two fingers inside her, stretching and curling.

“Did you get a chance to pick up your pills?” Ted asked, leaning his head against her thigh to glance up at her. 

“Mmm, yeah,” Alexis nodded, “last week. Fuck me just like this, Ted.” He surged up to kiss her, hands bracing beside her head. Ted lined his cock up with her entrance, head dropping to rest in the hollow of her throat as he fucked her bare for the first time. Alexis moaned, “Oh my god, you feel so good, Ted.” She bit her lip to swallow the rest of her words; she loved him so fucking much. The coppery taste of blood met her tongue; she swallowed that too.

“Lex,” he said, voice rough with emotion as he thrust inside her. Ted’s mouth closed loosely around the place where her neck met her shoulder. He panted against her skin. Ted’s hand reached down to rub at her clit and waves of arousal pulsed though her. “You're so good, you’re everything.” Ted sucked, sudden and sharp on the delicate skin of her neck. He adjusted the angle of his cock and Alexis’ breath caught in her throat.

“Right there, Ted,” she moaned, hands fisting in the bedspread. Ted kept the angle, fucking her with deep, rocking thrusts. Alexis soon came from the pressure on her clit, pleasure rippling through her. Ted kept going, groaning as she tightened around him. His hips let out a few last erratic thrusts before he was stilling, cock pulsing with release.

“Alexis,” he moaned and she felt the warmth of his cum as he let go inside her. Alexis came again at the sensation, Ted thumb still moving over her clit. He kissed her shoulder and shifted to move away automatically, used to needing to discard a condom. 

“No, wait,” Alexis said, wrapping her legs around him to pull him back down. “Stay here for a sec.” Ted smiled against her throat, reaching up to grab her hands and pull them back down between them. Alexis kissed his forehead, one hand moving to play with the short hairs at the nape of his neck, the other drawing absentminded patterns on his back. Ted had a fair amount of his weight on her and she hummed, pleased. It was like being under a pile of cozy blankets, but better, because it smelt like sex and Ted. “Okay, this is really nice, but I need to pee,” she said after a moment, wiggling out from underneath him. They both cleaned up in the bathroom, before returning to lay under the covers. Ted wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked a leg between hers. It felt like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy.  
> ❤️ Sunset


	4. The Sun’s Gonna Rise Again

“What are we doing, Lex?” Ted asked, face half buried in her hair.

“Mmm, it’s called spooning, Ted,” Alexis said, interlacing their fingers where his hand rest against her hip. Ted laughed, shaky and bitter. It made Alexis’ stomach turn.

“You know that’s not what I’m asking,” he said, rubbing his thumb over the joints of their fingers, “The plane is going to land.” She felt his breath catch against her back; tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. 

“I know,” Alexis said, throat hot and tight. She had told Twyla that if she really loved Stevie, the risk was worth it. David had started over, all alone in a new town, and was building something beautiful with Patrick. She could be brave too. “Can I come home with you?” 

“Yeah,” Ted said, breath evening out, “I’d like that.” By the time they landed, the night was slowly bleeding into morning. They switched uber drivers twice on the ride back to Schitts Creek and Alexis was exhausted by the time they crossed the town limits. She wasn’t nearly tired enough to miss the sign, although she wished she was. “It’s his sister,” Ted said, grimacing when he noticed her looking.

“Ew, Ted,” She said. David really needed to get that fixed. Twyla was sitting on Ted’s front stoop when they pulled in. “Oh my god, Twy!” Alexis called, flying out of the car to pull her into a hug. “It’s so good to see you in person,” she pulled back to examine her friends face, “um, your skin is really pretty up close, that’s so unfair.”

“Thanks Alexis,” Twyla laughed, she held out a tote, “Here, I have to get to work, but I brought you some things to borrow until your clothes get here.” Alexis took the bag and booped her on the nose.

“You’re the best, Twy,” she said. Twyla grinned and turned to Ted.

“It’s good to have you home,” she said, squeezing his arm, “We really missed you while you were away. And thank you for getting Alexis here safe.” 

“I missed you guys too,” Ted said. “It’s good to be back.” Twyla had to leave to start her shift. Ted unlocked the front door and ushered her through it. His house was fine, not what she expected, but fine.

“Is your house always this … clean?” Alexis asked, poking at a black and white throw pillow. Honestly it looked like something right out of a magazine, generic and sad. She could be standing in anyone’s living room.

“Oh,” Ted said, glancing around, “Yeah, I guess it is.” Alexis let it go for the moment, resolving to slowly build the space into something that felt more like him. Ted’s room in the Galapagos had had far more personality and that was only a temporary situation. 

When she got dressed later that morning, after sleeping for a few more hours, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the clothes Twyla had picked out weren’t horribly offensive. Twyla had watched her get ready dozens of times over video chat, so she was familiar with the general vibe Alexis went for. She settled on a flowy blue dress and set off to find Ted.

“Oh,” Alexis said, stopping in her tracks when she walked through the door that connected his clinic office to the rest of the house. “There you are.” She breathed a sigh of relief. There were mugs lined up on a shelf, decorated with cartoon animals and vet conference logos. A poster of a cat hanging in a tree was framed on the wall. Color coordinated sticky notes dotted his computer monitor and the surrounding wall space. The desk looked like it was one of those obnoxious health trend ones that could be converted to a standing desk. It was awful, but it was all very Ted.

“Hi,” Ted said, glazing up from the files he had been organizing. His face lit up when he saw her. “Did you sleep okay?” Ted asked, tucking the files back into the cabinet. His fingers danced along the edges of the labels as he double checked that he’d put them in the right place.

“I love you,” Alexis said, the words slipping out of her mouth as soon as she thought them. “I’m in love with you. You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever known.”

“Alexis,” Ted said her name like an invocation. He strode toward her, reaching out to pull her against him. “I love you, so much,” Ted said, leaning down to kiss her. “I’ve wanted to tell you so many times.” Alexis felt his hands slid from her waist to her thighs. Then, suddenly, she was in the air, Ted carrying her back through the house until they reached the living room. 

She straddled him on the couch as he kissed her with a deep, possessive energy. His hands held firm, digging into her hips and ass. Whatever reservations he had had, they were gone now. Ted nudged her hair to the side with his nose to suck at her exposed neck. He hadn’t gotten around to shaving and his stubble scraped against the sensitive skin. She felt a rush of arousal remembering how his beard had felt in between her thighs. Ted nipped at her earlobe, dragging it into his mouth and sucking. “Alexis,” he said. She shivered at the hot breath in her ear. 

Ted’s hands slid up her thighs, under her dress. He paused when he got to her hips; she hadn’t bothered with underwear this morning. Ted groaned into the hollow of her throat. Alexis shivered and scraped her blunt nails down the back of his head. She rolled her hips, feeling him harden beneath her. Ted slid one of his hands into her hair, wrapping it around his fist. She tilted her head back, leaning into it. God, she loved it when he pulled her hair like this. He tightened his hand, holding her there as he mouthed at her jugular. Alexis moaned at the sensation, tiny pricks of pleasure and pain on the back of her neck with heat and teeth on her throat.

Ted slid his other hand between her legs, finding her dripping with arousal. He thrust three fingers inside her without warning, her body accepting him easily after this morning on the plane. Alexis whimpered, her instinct to curl and hide from the sudden shock of pleasure. Ted’s firm hold on her hair forced her to arch her spine, body on display as he drew soft moans from her throat. His hand between her thighs was rough and instant as he curled the pads of his fingers into her g spot, palm pressed firmly against her clit. Alexis pushed her throat into his teeth, gasping at the tug on her hair. Ted nipped at her lightly, before moving to suck on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. Alexis writhed as she came around his hand, reaching out to claw at his shoulders as she shook with pleasure. Ted guided her head forward so he could kiss her, tongue dipping into her mouth. He pulled his fingers out some, thumb moving to rub harsh circles on her clit as she rode out her last few waves of orgasm. 

“Ted,” she said, whining as he continued to rub her. He tucked her face into his neck, hand loosening in her hair. “I want you cock now.” Ted kissed the side of her head. He rolled his hips so she could feel his hardness press against her ass.

“You can come again like this, Lex, I know you can,” he ran a gentle hand through her hair. “Can I make you come again before I fuck you, baby?” Alexis whimpered as he gave a shallow thrust with his fingers, brushing against her g spot before moving away. Her hips bucked, but his hand stayed where it was. His fingers stretching and filling her with their solid presence, while his thumb circled her clit. Alexis nodded frantically against him, wrapping a hand around his forearm so she could feel him moving inside her. 

“Ah, yes, Ted, keep going,” she said. Ted ducked his head, moving the cotton of her dress aside so he could suck her nipple into his mouth. He used his free hand to tease the other where it was pebbled against the fabric. He nipped at her, teeth tugging lightly while he sucked on her breast. Alexis gasped, bucking against his hand. Ted switched sides, sucking at her nipple through the thin cloth of the dress. He pinched the other, twisting and rolling it between his fingers. Alexis came for a second time, the friction of the wet fabric against her sending sparks of pleasure through her body. Ted stroked her lightly as she came, drawing out her orgasm until she tugged his hand away.

She raised herself onto her knees, kissing the top of his head as he pulled down his boxers and shorts. Alexis reached down for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up over his head, followed by her dress. Ted groaned, leaning forward to nuzzle his face between her breasts. He placed a chaste kiss to her sternum. Alexis was filled with an overwhelming affection as the softness in the gesture. She reached down for his cock, smearing the precum from his head down his shaft. She gathered her own wetness, wrapping her hand around him to stroke him with it. Ted moaned, hips jumping into her hand. Alexis felt him pulse in hand, precum drooling on her fist. Ted hands dug into her hips.

Alexis lowered herself onto his cock. She reached out to cup his cheek as she began to ride him. “I love you,” she said, gasping as he filled her. Ted closed his eyes and turned to kiss her palm. She felt like her heart might burst out of her chest again. “god, I love you so much.” Ted lifted her as she rode him, helping her build momentum to fuck him from above. God, he was so deep at this angle. 

“Love you too, baby,” Ted said, thumbs digging into her hip bones. He planted his feet more firmly so he had the leverage to fuck up into her. “I’m so close, Alexis,” he said. She moaned at his words, so full of his cock. She thought his fingers had felt good, but this, god he was big. Alexis rode him until she began to come, thighs faltering as she trembled above him. Ted wrapped his arms around her, thrusting up into her a few more times before her tightening around him triggered his own release. Ted pressed his mouth to her shoulder as he came. She wrapped her legs around him, humming with please as she felt his cock pulse and twitch inside her. Ted leaned back against the couch, Alexis dropping her head to rest against his shoulder.

“Ted?” she asked, hands drawing absentminded patterns on his back.

“Hmm?” he asked, face nuzzled into the side of her hair.

“How attached are you to the current decor, like, scale of one to ten?” Alexis asked.

“Alexis,” he laughed, nipping at her ear.

“What?” she asked, mind already spinning on ways she could incorporate more personal touches into the space.

“Nothing,” he said, smoothing a hand over her hair. She felt him kiss the top of her head again.

“It just doesn’t feel like you,” she sighed, “not like your room in the Galapagos, not like your office here.”

“That’s,” Ted said, stopping like the words caught in his throat. “That’s actually really sweet, Lex.” His fingers trailed across the dimples at the small of her back. “Let’s work on that together, okay?” She nodded against his chest, settling back down with a pleased sigh. He made a very comfy pillow.

“Love you, Ted,” she said, just because she could. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!   
> ❤️ Sunset


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